How to Get More Google Reviews as a Groundworker
If you've ever finished a project and forgotten to ask, this is for you. A short, honest guide to filling your Google profile with real reviews — without it feeling weird.
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Why More Reviews = More Work for Groundworkers
Before the how, here's the why. Groundwork is the foundation everything else sits on. When homeowners do search directly, they need total confidence in your competence. Reviews from builders and direct customers about reliability and quality carry enormous weight. Every extra review past your current count earns you a slightly better position in local search, which means slightly more phone calls — and the maths compounds fast.
"groundworker near me"
Google shows the top three results for this search based heavily on review count, rating, and recency. Most clicks go to those three.
Trust signal
For a groundwork business, reviews are the first social proof potential customers see — long before they ever talk to you.
Permanent asset
Unlike Checkatrade, Google reviews are free, owned by you, and don't disappear when you stop paying.
Why It's So Hard to Get Reviews as a Groundworker
The barrier isn't your work — it's the moment. Reviews happen when the asking is easy and the timing is right, and for most groundworkers both of those things are working against you.
Your work gets buried underground — literally invisible once complete
Most work comes through builders, not direct customers
Groundwork isn't glamorous but it's essential — hard to get reviews for essential work
Customers don't understand what groundwork involves
Top-ranking groundworkers typically have 10-30 Google reviews.
The 5-Step System to Get More Reviews
This is the playbook we've watched work across hundreds of groundwork business owners. None of it is clever — it's just consistent.
- 1
Ask within 24-48 hours of finishing the project
Response rates roughly halve after a week. The fresher the experience, the more likely they post.
- 2
Send by SMS, not email
SMS gets opened in minutes. Email gets opened, maybe, on Sunday night. SMS wins for groundworkers every time.
- 3
Personalise the message
Use the customer's name and reference the actual project. Generic templates underperform personalised messages by 2-3x.
- 4
Give them a direct link to your Google review form
Don't make them search for your business. One tap from SMS to review form is the gold standard.
- 5
Filter out unhappy customers first
Send a low-friction "how was it?" question first. Only customers who rate you highly should be funnelled to Google. The rest give you private feedback.
Or Let It Run Itself
The five steps above work. The problem is keeping them up when you're knee-deep in a project. Grow Our Reviews automates step 1 through step 4 — you just finish the job.
Finish a project
Wrap up the work the same way you always have. Nothing changes in how you operate.
Add the customer
Drop their name and mobile into the app — fifteen seconds, from your phone.
Reviews land
Happy customers post directly to Google. Unhappy ones give you private feedback first.
Examples From a Working Groundworker's Week
Picture a typical week — a foundations, a drainage installation, maybe a excavation. Each one is a potential review. Here's how the asking fits each.
foundations
A customer who's just had a foundations from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
drainage installation
A customer who's just had a drainage installation from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
excavation
A customer who's just had a excavation from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
concrete work
A customer who's just had a concrete work from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
What It Costs (For a Groundworker)
14-day free trial on the plan you choose. Card required. Cancel from the dashboard anytime.
Lite
Enough credits for around 30 projects a month.
- Up to 30 message credits per month
- SMS review requests
- Automatic follow-up nudges (can enable/disable)
- Sentiment gate (review filtering)
- Analytics dashboard
- Email support
Starter
Enough credits for around 150 projects a month.
- Up to 150 message credits per month
- SMS review requests
- Automatic follow-up nudges (can enable/disable)
- Sentiment gate (review filtering)
- Analytics dashboard
- Email support
Growth
Enough credits for around 300 projects a month.
- Up to 300 message credits per month
- Everything in Starter
- Priority support
Quick Answers
When is the best time to ask a customer for a review?+
Within 24-48 hours of finishing the project, while the experience is fresh. Wait a week and the response rate drops by more than half — we've measured it.
What's the highest-converting message to send?+
Short, polite, and personal. Mention the customer's name, what you did, and a direct link to your Google review page. The fewer clicks between SMS and review form, the higher the conversion.
Is it OK to offer an incentive?+
No. Google's policy explicitly bans incentivised reviews and they'll strip them — sometimes along with your whole rating. Don't risk it.
How many requests should I send per month as a groundworker?+
Send one to every customer you've genuinely served. The "right number" is whatever your real job volume is — the goal is steady, not bulk.
Ready to get your first wave of new reviews?
The guide above is what works. The fastest way to actually do it is to let the system ask for you — after every project, automatically.
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Other Trades we work with
The same approach works for adjacent trades — same automation, different defaults.
More for groundworkers
Same topic, different angles — useful if you're researching how reviews fit into your wider groundwork business.
Further reading
Articles from the blog that go deeper into the topics on this page.